Sign character



J. T. COCHRAN SIGN CHARACTER Nev. 1, 1932.

Filed July 14. 1930 ia/mm Joseph 7760mm Wfl g Patented Nov. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE SIGN CHARACTER Application filed July 14,

This invention relates to sign letters or characters made of glass or other transparent material and havin a rear reflector, and to the method of pro ucing such characters.

'. One of the principal objects of the invention is in the provision of a sign letter or character composed of transparent materlal either plain or colored and adapted to resemble the present electrical gas filled tube,

when it is illuminated.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of a reflecting character which is .simple and inexpensive, not likely to break and easily applicable for display purposes 1 whether illuminated or not.

' A further object of the invention is in the provision of a character having a reflecting surface made up of a great number of relatively small projections or indentations which together form a reflecting surface visible through a side angle from the front thereof.

A still further object of the invention is in the provision of a character of this kind in which a great number of reflecting surfaces are magnified by a lens portion and visible through a side angle from the front of the character.

Other objects of the/invention are in the method of producing a letter or character from transparent plastic material; in the method of removing surplus plastic material of the formation of the character; in themethod of preparing and applying a reflector from a sheet of reflecting material; in the method of curving a reflector to apply to the back of a letter or character; and in general in providing the new and improved method of making sign letters and characters as herein shown and described. 7

The accompanying drawing illustrates more or less diagrammatically an embodiment of the invention and the method of producing letters or characters of this kind.

In the accompanying drawing: Fig. 1 is a sectional viewof a mold as taken on the line 11 of Fig. 5 with a scraper or roller in elevation above it;

Fig. 2 illustrates a sheet of reflecting ma- 1980. serial No. 467,855.

terial from which reflecting-characters are cut;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the rollers for shaping the characterscut from the reflector;

Fig. 4 is a section of a letter or character showing a tie for holding the reflector and character body together;

Fig. 5 is a face or plan view of a mold as shown in Fig. 1 for form letters or characters; and m Fig. 6 represents a character constructed in accordance with this invention and receiving light from two sources for illuminating it.

One of the difliculties informing letters or characters of transparent plastic hardening material such as glass is in the provision of a suitable reflecting surface which is visible at different angles or in a wide angle from the front of the character. In the present invention it is proposed to overcome this objection by making a transparent body with a flat or plain back and to apply thereto a curved reflecting surface of innumerable small reflectors which together provide a 7 reflecting surface visible from a wide angle at the front of the character and magnified by the lens thereof.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, a letter or character of the desired shape, size or configuration is formed of glass or other suitable hardening plastic material by pouring a quantity of the material in a plastic state in the formed recesses 9 of a mold 10. In the present invention the upper edges 11 of the recesses forming the character are located in the same plane which is preferably the plane of the upper edges 12 of the sides of the mold and these edges 11 are preferably sharp so that when a scraper or a roller 13 is moved over the top of the mold it will smooth the upper surface of the material, leveling it ofl and forming a plain back for the character, the surplus material dropping into depressions 14: in the mold from which they may be removed later. This operation forms a character of the desired shape and sizehaving a body portion 15 with a curved front surface 16 and a straight or plain back surface 17. The body of the charthat the reflector curves but In order to provide areflector which is visible from a wide angle at the front of the character, the reflector is-made from a thin sheet 18 0f material in which there. are innumbrggllile facets or cflelpzbelssigtxisgltlplaeri ranged 1n ar rows pre e y in relation to each other and the rows ref-' erably exten transversely in' relatively vertical and horizontal directions. The depressions 19 are represented. in the present the body of the letter or and curved 3. A signletter or character comprising a body of transparent a curved reflector at the back thereof, the reflector being of an outline to the body of 'the letteror character and formed with innusmall circles. but it will be underijmerable regular depressions for reflectin case b stood that diamond, hexagonal and other an; gular facets may also be usedin the same A reflector similar in shapeto the charactor body 15 is cut from the reflector sheet 18 and the portions-maki up the reflector are flat or are made sli wider than the a corresponding portions of the character bodyso that when curved as shown .in Fig. 4 they will be of the same width as the o'rtions of the body to which the ,are appli The reflector portions may -curved in any suit- 'able manner as for example by shaping them between a air of complementary forming "rollsQlan 22asshowninFig.3which makes them of the shape desired. After the character body and reflector are formed in the mn'anner dgslired they are assembled and ma attach in correspo position so y Z y from the body of the character at the rear thereof, as

by means of'a fine cord or wire 23 which is practically invisible from the front of the character and by which the character itself may be attached to a-suitable support or fastenedin 'tion. transp Insignsofthiskindtheletters or characters are set up in a show window, on a sign board or elsewhere at some distance from a beholder and one or more illuminating lamps 25 are sothatthera there mwillbereflected .and'diverted y the reflector 20 in a wide .at the front of the By placing the lamgmt the-sides or atthe top and hottomo'f e ,afullplayofthelightrlgs willbeaflo edsothataperson e sign will receive the impnefion o a continuous glo character, no matter what the umglgofvlslon maybe. Itwillthusappear luminous and flaming and ma be colored in a'rariety of colors which 've the Eu- 'tt m In 0 e r an .m bat;.gofwt.f

Lisitinletterorch'aractercom a bed wi afrontlensportion-and'aat and acurved reflector at the back havmganoutlinesimilartoandrunnin'gwith at suitable angles ing light rays in all directions and the =1 1 o the reflector touching the edge portions of the legter or lcharacter.h

4. sign etter or c aracter comprising a body of transparent material ha a front lens portion and a flat back, are ector of outline similar to and running with the let- 'ter or character and'curved transversel to fit against the back of the letter and tone ing it only at the edges, and means for holding the reflector in contact with the letter or character.

'5. A sign letter or character adapted to be illuminated from the front from one or more positions, com rising a nt body portion havinga ntcurved lens formportion and a flat back, a reflector comprlsmgasheetofreflectingmaterialha' innumerable reflecting dep. 1;.- in 14; red P01811011 andof an outlinesimilartoedecharacterbod ,htiie reflactor being can t1. I'm m Q edgesonly thereof in w; ent with the rearedgesof the correspon' parts ofthe body portion, and means for attaching the arent'portions' and the reflector togather. I

6. A letterorcharactercomp a bod tf a front lens and a curved -reflector at the back havan outline similar to and running with the body of the letter or character and curved of the bediye, the reflector being formed wi innumerab depresions for light rays in directions. OSEPH T. COCH'RAN.

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